1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of simulating a traditional casino roulette game experience using a specially designed deck of thirty eight (38) playing cards to determine a winning number rather than via a spin of the roulette wheel. The invention employs a standard roulette table, a flat panel LCD or plasma monitor provided near the roulette table so that it is visible by the players, a card shuffler, a keypad, a bar code scanner attached to a dedicated computer and the specially designed deck of thirty eight (38) cards. The deck includes one card for each single unique number from the roulette wheel, i.e. 00, 0, and numbers 1-36. Each card has a barcode containing information about the unique number appearing on the card and information on the color associated with that unique number on the roulette wheel.
The deck is shuffled so that cards are drawn at random to simulate a spin of the roulette wheel. The dealer activates the shuffler to draw a card from the shuffled deck. A bar code on the drawn card is read by a bar code scanner which feeds information into a computer about the number and its associated color which appear on the card. Scanning the card activates the computer to provide a visual representation of a spin of the roulette wheel on a monitor located near the roulette table. The barcode on the card controls the visualization to show the ball landing on the unique number and color of the number of the roulette wheel dictated by the drawn card.
2. Description of the Related Art
The traditional game of roulette is played on a purpose-built table and a roulette wheel with a ball is used. Players place their bets by placing one or more of their uniquely colored chips on the table so as to define the bet that they are placing. Various types of bets are possible. A bet is a prediction by the player of where the ball will land after each spin of the roulette wheel. To win at roulette, a player needs to accurately predict where the ball will land, i.e. the number or color of the pocket where the ball will come to rest. The complete rules for the game of roulette, including the types of bets possible, can be found on various websites by searching for “roulette game rules”. One of many such websites is ildado.com and another is fastodds.com. These traditional rules for the game of roulette are hereby included by reference.
To play the traditional game of roulette, the players first bet and then the dealer spins the roulette wheel. The ball eventually lands in one of the numbered pockets provided at the perimeter of the roulette wheel. The wheel has 38 numbers, i.e. 00, 0, and numbers 1-36, and each number is associated with a color, i.e. red, black or green. The number of the pocket in which the ball comes to rest dictates the winning number for the game and thus dictates which players win and which players lose. The dealer collects the losing bets and pays out on the winning bets.
Gaming regulations sometimes restrict casinos to only games that employ cards and do not allow the casinos to use games that employ roulette wheel and balls. However, casinos that are thus restricted still would like to be able to provide a roulette game experience to their customers. The present invention allows casinos to provide such an experience within their gaming restrictions. Specifically, the present invention substitutes a special deck of cards for the roulette wheel and ball that are employed in a traditional roulette game.